Brake-handle arrester.



E. T. GIBSON.

BRAKE HANDLE ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. 15. 1914.

1 1M 23}, o Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

EDWARD TINKHAM GIBSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRAKE-HANDLE ABRESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, P915.

Application filed December 15, 1914. Serial No. 877,343.

T at 10710772 it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD TINKHAM GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and 'State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brake- Handle Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley car handbrakes in which a vertically disposed brakechain-winding shaft is provided on its upper end with a crank-arm or brakehandle adapted to be manually turned on a horizontal plane, and in which hand-brake the said shaft is provided with a ratchetwheel immovably secured to the shaft and adapted to be releasably engaged by a pawl to hold the shaft against revolution in a direction opposite to that in which it is turned by the said brake-handle to wind upon the said shaft a brake-chain which, when wound on said shaft, operates means whereby brake-shoes are caused to bear against the wheels of the car. When the pawl does not engage the ratchet-wheel a rapid unwinding of the brake-chain from the said shaft will cause the brake-handle to swing rapidly; and it not infrequently happens that a motorman operating a car having this kind of brake is violently struck across his abdomen, right forearm, or right hand, by the brake-handle of an unexpectedly unwinding brake.

The object of my improvement is to provide means which will prevent accidents of the just mentioned kind from happening.

This object is accomplished by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents one embodiment of the invention. This Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the brake-handle shown in Fig. 1, and is illustrated provided with one of the two cooperating parts which I provide for arresting the brake-handle, and a catchhandle. The parts 6 and 0 in this figure are not shown in Fig. 1 but are broken away. Fig. 3 is a top view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. s is an end view of a vertical transverse section taken through Y-Y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar section taken through Z-Z of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a similar section taken through ZZ of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views. Fig.

9 represents another embodiment of my invention.

1n the drawing A represents a transverse section of the platform of a trolley car. B represents a crank arm or brake handle which is secured at its proximal end to the upper end of a vertically disposed brakechain-winding shaft C which is attached to a brake-chain D. E represents a ratchetwheel which is carried by the said shaft and which is adapted to be releasably engaged by a pawl F. In other words, the parts B, C, D, E, and F, constitute parts of the trolley car hand-brake to which I apply my invention for arresting the crank-arm or brake-handle for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, and made fully understandable by reference to Figs. 2, 3, 4c, 5, 6, 7, and 8, G and L represent cooperating parts of a catch for arresting the brake-handle B at a predetermined. point in the path that the brake-handle is caused to travel when the said shaft C is revolved. The said part G is mounted to turn on a pivot-pin H which is supported in projections i and a" which extend upwardly from the horizontal plane of the top 71 of the base-portion i of a bracket I having lips (one of which lips, 2' is shown,) and a slot 2' and which bracket is adjustably secured by means of a bolt J to a stationary support K which latter is fastened to the framework a of the trolley car by screws and 7c. The said part G has a nose-portion g projecting in one direction from the said pivot-pin H and a tailportion 9" projecting in an approximately opposite direction from the said pivot-pin H. The said tail-portion is made heavier than the said nose-portion so that gravity will tend to cause the long diameter of the said nose-portion to rest in a vertical plane, and thereby dispose the said nose-portion in the position which it normally occupies and which is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7. From this description of the pivoted-part G and the bracket 1 it will be seen that the said pivoted-part is free to be turned in one direction from its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 7 to the position illustrated in Fig. 8, and that a contact engagement of its tail-portion g with the base-portion i of the bracket 1 prevents its turning in an opp ts direction from its said normal position. The said direction in which the pivoted-part G is free to be turned is the same general one that the brake-handle B moved in when moved forward toward the right in the act of winding the brake-chain on the shaft G. The coeperating-part L of the said catch as the latter is shown in the embodiment of my invention illustrated .in Fig. 1, consists in the present instance, of a lug L having a face Z (see Figs. 1, 7, and 8) which abuts a vertical plane, and the said lug when in its normal position projects downwardly from the horizontal plane of the undersurface of thearm-portion Z) of the brake-handle B and intersects the horizontal plane: of the top of the nose-portion g of the pivoted-part Gr when the latter is in its normalposition. This lug L, at its top end, is integral with the free-end portion m of a latch-arm M which is pivotally secured to one of the sides of the brake-handle B by a pivot-pin on which'it is adapted to turn in a vertical plane. The outer end of the said pivot-pin N is preferably supported in a bracket 6 formed integral with the brakehandle B (see Figs. 2 and 4:). The sides of the said free-end portion m of the latch arm Mextend in vertical planes, and when the said lug L is in its normal position the said free end portion m of the latch-arm loosely extends into a chamber (see 0 Fig. 3) having 'a wall "0 formed by a side surface of the arm portion d of the brake-handle and an opposing Wall (0" Figs. 3 and 5) and an end Wall (0' Figs. 3 and 5') which are integral with a bracket Z2 which is integral with the brake-handle and laterally ofi'set therefrom.

The pii'roted-part G (which I have hereinbefore described) of the catch for accomplishing the object of my invention, is so positioned, with relation to the path that its coeperating-part (lug L in the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 1) on the brake-handle travels when the brake handle is turned by a complete revolution of thebrake-chain-winding shaft (1,as' to adapt the said pivoted-part G to come into a Contact engagement with its said ooeper- L atin'gfpart (L in this instance) on the brake- 5O handle at a point in the said path and thereby stop movement of the brake-handle at this point if this just mentioned movement is the one in which the brake-handle moves when the brake-chain is unwound from the brake -c'hain-winding shaft C, And to accomplish the object for Which I have invented my brake-handle arrester this stopping of the just mentioned movement is arranged to occurwhen the long diameter of the brake -hai1dle is in a predetermined positio'n" with relation to the vertical plane of the long diameter of the trolley car. In or der that the occurrence of this just mentioned stopping of the movement of the brake-handle may be prevented if the operator' of the brake so desires, my brakehandle arrester is provided with a catchhandle suitably connected to one of the parts of the said catch to adapt the handle to be manually operated to move one of the parts of said catch out of its normal position for engaging the other. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, P is such a handle. This handle P has one of its ends integral with the latch-arm M, and its long diameter extends in a direction from the pivot-pin N which is substantially opposite to that in which the latch-arm M extends and is ,curved upwardly to a horizontal plane wherein it may be easily pressed upon by the right hand of the operator of the brake when. said hand rests upon the top of the upwardly extended portion 6 of the brak'e han dle.

F rein the description hereinbefore given of the latch-arm M, and the description just given of the catch-handle P, it will be seen that manual pressure in a downward direction upon the free-end portion 79 of the handle P will cause the lug L to rise from its normal position, and that this downward pressure be continued till the said lug L rests, as is indicated by a dotted outline of an end view of the lug in Fig. 5, upon the horizontal planeof the undersurface of the arm-portionb of the brake-handle B. The said latcharnj1 M is made heavier than the catch-handle P so that the action of gravity will tend to restore the lug L to its normal position when downward pressure is not being exerted on the catch-handle P.

Q isa stop which is laterally offset from the brakehandle to come into contact engagement with the latch-arm M when the lug L is in its normal position. V

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 9, R and S respectively represent cooperating parts .of a catch for arresting the brake-handle B. The part S is an integral part ofthe brake-handle B itself. The part B is fixedly mounted on a horizontal rockshaft Twhi'chhas one of its ends, t, journaled in a projeetion which extends upwardly from the horizontal plane, of the top a of the'base-portion u of a bracket U R which is secured by means of bolts to a stationary support V which latter is adapted to be fastened to the framework of the car. The said part B is so positioned, with relationto the path thatits coeperating part S on the brake-handle travels when the brake-handle is turned by a complete revolution of the brakechain winding shaft (not shown in Fig. 9), as to adapt the said part R to come into a contact engagement with its said coeperating part S on the brakehandle at a point in the last mentioned path. The end 25' of the said rockshaft T is journaled in an upwardly projecting extension 41 of the said support V. a

was uu lhe said rocleshaft T has a downwardly projecting rock-arm t which has its free end loosely pivoted to one end of a bar which bar has its other end loosely pivoted to a catch-handle X by a pivot-pin 'w. Said catch-handle is mounted to turn on a pivotpin :0 which is supported by the said upwardly projecting extension 1) of the support V. The long diameter of this pivotpin :0 is disposed parallel with that of the said rock-shaft T, and the said pivot-pin w is disposed at a point between the horizontal plane of the axis of the pivot-pin 00 and that of the top of the catchhandle X. vVhen the said part B is in its normal position its nose-portion r intersects the horizontal plane of the undersurface of the brakehandle B. From the description given of the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 9, it will be seen that the said catchhandle X is adapted to be manually operated to move the part it out of its normal position for engaging the part S, as pressure exerted against the catch-handle X in the direction the arrow is pointing would cause the art it to turn on the axis of the rock-shaft T till it no longer intersects the path of its cooperating part S. In Fig. 9 the length of the bar N is exaggerated. To return the catch-handle X to its normal position when manual pressure is removed from it. a suitable spring (not shown) will be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trolley car handbrake comprising a vertically disposed brake-chain-winding shaft having a crank-arm or brake-handle secured to the upper end thereof and adapted to travel on a horizontal plane when said shaft is revolved the combination with said hand-brake of a brakehandle arrester having a catch and a catch-handle, said catch comprising a pivoted-part having anoseportion and mounted to turn on an axis disposed at right angles with the long diameter of said nose-portion and supported on a device secured to a suitably located immovable ob'ject in the car, and a cooperating part carried by said brake-handle, said cooperating part consisting of a lug downwardly projecting from and integral with an end portion of a latch-arm pivotally secured at the other end to said brake handle to turn in a vertical plane parallel with the vertical plane of the horizontal portion of the long diameter of the said brake-handle, and said lug being adapted to come into a contact engagement with the said nose-portion of said pivoted-part when the two said parts are in their normal positions and the central long diameter of the said brake-handle is disposed in a predetermined position with relation to the vertical plane of the central long diameter of the car, said catch-handle having one of its ends integral with the pivoted end of the said latch-arm, and its other end disposed within easy reach of the right hand of the operator of the hand-brake when said hand is on the said brake-handle and the central long diameter of the latter is disposed in the said predetermined position; and said catch-handle adapted to move the said lug out of its normal position when manual pressure is exerted against it in a downward direction.

2. In a trolley car hand-brake comprising a vertically disposed brake-chain-winding shaft having a crank-arm or brake-handle secured to the upper end thereof and adapt ed to travel on a horizontal plane when said shaft is revolved, the combination with said hand-brake of a brake-handle arrester having a catch and a catch-handle, said catch comprising a pivoted-part having a noseportion and mounted to turn on an axis disposed at right angles with the long diameter of said nose-portion and supported on a device secured to a suitably located immovable object in the car, and a cooperating part carried by said brake-handle and adapted to come into a contact engagement with the said nose-portion of said pivoted-part when the two said parts are in their normal positions and the central long diameter of the said brake-handle is disposed in a predetermined position with relation to the vertical plane of the central long diameter of the car, said catch-handle being suitably supported, and disposed within easy reach of the right hand of the operator of the handbrake when said hand is on the said brakehandle and the central long diameter of the latter is disposed in the said predetermined position; and said catch-handle being suitably connected to one of the said parts of the said catch to adapt the said catch-handle to move the part out of its normal position when manual pressure is exerted against it in a predetermined direction.

3. In a trolley car hand-brake comprising a vertically disposed brake-chain-winding shaft having a crank-arm or brake-handle secured to the upper end thereof and adapted to travel on a horizontal plane when said shaft is revolved, the combination with said hand-brake of a brake-handle arrester having a catch and a catch-handle, said catch comprising a pivoted-part having a nose portion and mounted to turn on an axis disposed at right angles with the long diameter of said nose-portion, and a cooperating part adapted to come into a contact engagement with the said nose-portion of said pivotedpart when the two said parts are in their normal positions and the central long diame ter of the said brake-handle is disposed in a predetermined position with relation to the vertical plane of the central long diameter of the eat; one of said parts of the said catch being harried by said brake-handle and the other being supported on a device secured to a suitably located immovable object in the car, said catch-handle being suitably supported, and disposed Within easy reach of the right hand of the operator of the hafid-brake when said hand is on the said brake-handle and the central long diameter of the latter is disposed in the said predetermined position; and said catch handleflbeing suitably connected to one of the said parts of the said catch to adapt the said catch-handle to move the part out of its normal position When manual pressure is l exerted against it in a predetermined direction. I

EDWARD TINKHAM GIBSON. WVitnesses:

SARAH A; CURTISS, MAU'D C. GIBSON.

cb i's 6: its imit 1159 fi ob'mmiid m m but; can; by addressing th' Commissioner 61' 1 mins,

Washington; D. c." 

